WHERE WE LIVE

- -Text: 1019-rg-bike-10Bikes parked outside of the Frothy Monkey on 12 South, a coffeshop that sponsored the tour.Photo by Laura Grant / Copyright 2006 No Tennessean

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If the road leading into the main stretch of the 12 South neighborhood seems more narrow these days, you can rest assured it’s not. The Alice in Wonderland effect might be happening, though, as the buildings along the road’s edges grow bigger in parts along with more people cruising the sidewalks.

But Mike Dolan, chief manager of Mafiaoza’s Pizzeria & Neighborhood Pub, remembers when the shrinking road was a real thing. In 2004, just after he opened the restaurant, he worked with the city and a small group of business owners in the area as they narrowed the two-land road, added the sidewalks, and added crosswalks giving the street its characteristic neighborhood feel. Dolan said he joined Irma Paz of Las Paletas and Colleen DeGregory of Mirror, which closed in 2010, to represent the relatively few merchants in the area.

These days, though, it’s a bustling scene with diners waiting outside Burger Up for tables. Others might head toward Edley’s Barbecue, Urban Grub, Sloco, 12 South Taproom or Taqueria del Sol. And more businesses are set to open soon, including the popular Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams shop and Josephine, a restaurant by Burger Up and Frothy Monkey founder Miranda Whitcomb.

“I’m excited about seeing the diversity of restaurants,” Dolan said.

Ryan Pruitt of Frothy Monkey grew up in Franklin and has an even longer history with the neighborhood. He remembers going to Fork’s Drum Closet when he was 9 or 10 years old with his father. At the time, the street had a rough reputation. But now, he said, after taking over Frothy Monkey with partners Rich May and Heather Southerland from Whitcomb after she opened Burger Up in 2010, he’s excited to see the neighborhood become a destination.

“I think people now land at the airport and say, ‘Take me to 12 South,’” he said.

The boom hasn’t come without growing pains, of course.

“Parking’s the number one challenge. It’s always that way in an urban area,” Dolan said.

Some neighbors also mourn the loss of a time when the street had a more quaint vibe. The popular Rumours Wine & Art Bar, for example, moved to the Gulch area, and the 12 South Flats apartment complex, developed by H.G. Hill Realty and Southeast Venture, is going up in its place.

Dolan says the key, though, is communication.

“There’s a dialogue happening,” Pruitt added.

And both Pruitt and Dolan expect the growth to continue.

“Hopefully the developers are local people,” Dolan added, “who will give everyone a chance to get involved.”

Merchants like Julie Lutz of the boutique Serendipity have welcomed the changes. Lutz moved her business to 12 South from 100 Oaks Mall in November 2001.

“I love the building. The old-fashioned storefront look is exactly what I wanted,” she said. “This was eclectic and that’s how we are too.”

On a recent Tuesday, she showed off the way she had rearranged the store to a regular customer in anticipation of a new, younger clientele from the apartments across the streets. Sales, she said, have gone up over the past year even before the apartments open.

“There will be more foot traffic. We’re already seeing it with Imogene & Willie and Urban Grub,” she said. “They’re gonna walk off their dinner.”